So far in 2011, there have been 100 homicides in the District. That's 17 percent fewer killings than 2010. Of course, the number of murders alone don't fully define broader crime trends in the District. more ›

The Save WEAVE campaign may have allowed that domestic violence assistance non-profit to stay open, but with the start of the new fiscal year today, other local groups are facing similar financial problems. House of Ruth, the District's largest nonprofit aimed at helping homeless women and children, most of whom have been victims of domestic violence, this week found out that it has lost nearly $500,000 in city funding, as the Washington Post's Susan Kinzie reported today. more ›

Last week we told you about the Save WEAVE initiative, an effort to prevent local non-profit Women Empowered Against Violence (WEAVE) from being forced to permanently close its doors as it faced the loss of nearly all of its funding from the District. Today the group, which offers assistance to victims of domestic violence, announced that it has already brought in $85,000, its initial target, two days ahead of schedule, and is now turning its eyes on raising an additional $100,000 by the end of the year. The Save WEAVE folks also say they are now "in serious talks with foundation and government stakeholders to cement WEAVE’s leadership role in the DC domestic violence community." All of this hopefully means that WEAVE will not have to close its doors on Sept. 30 after all, but it doesn't mean the organization is out of danger. You can still contribute to WEAVE's ongoing campaign through the Save WEAVE web site. more ›

Local non-profit WEAVE (Women Empowered Against Violence) is on the verge of shutting its doors. The group, which has helped literally tens of thousands of local women and children escape domestic violence over the last decade, has lost more or less all of its city funding this year, and WEAVE's board of directors were recently forced to move ahead with the process of shutting down. The Post ran a big story about WEAVE's plight last weekend, and buried at the bottom is mention of a last-ditch effort to raise $85,000 by Sept. 30. The money wouldn't solve all of WEAVE's problems, but it would let them keep their doors open for another month while they try to convince larger funders to step up as well. Impressively, the Save WEAVE web site has already managed to bring in over $53,000 since last weekend. If you can afford to make a small (or a large) donation to their cause, click through and find an online method to chip in. There will also be a fundraising happy hour at Topaz Bar in Dupont on Thursday, Sept. 24 from 5-7 p.m. that will benefit WEAVE, so you can stop by there to make a donation as well. If WEAVE doesn't manage to meet its goal, they say all money will be returned to donors. more ›